“Mouse”, interview with directors Kelly O’Sullivan and Alex Thompson

February 23, 2026

Kelly O’Sullivan and Alex Thompson on "Mouse"’s exploration of female friendship, mothers and daughters’ dynamics and finding your true place in the world

“Mouse”, interview with directors Kelly O’Sullivan and Alex Thompson Chiara Nicoletti

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Following up their 2024 breakout feature Ghostlight, co-directors Kelly O’Sullivan and Alex Thompson return with “Mouse”, premiering in the Panorama section at the 76th Berlinale.

The film, a delicate coming-of-age story starring Katherine Mallen-Kupferer, who previously appeared in the cast of “Ghostlight”, sees the young actress in the role of Minnie, a shy and awkward high school senior grappling with the difficult task of finding herself now that she no longer basks in the reflected light of her best friend, Callie.

Female friendships

“I think female relationships are so fascinating at that age because you can love someone and idolize them and also be so deeply jealous of them. One person takes up space naturally and then without meaning to she leaves less space for the other one.” Kelly O’Sullivan observes.

O’Sullivan, who also wrote the film, drew deeply from her memories of being a high school teenager in her hometown of North Little Rock, Arkansas in the early 2000s. With Alex Thompson she tried to describe the difficult journey of a teenager trying to define who she is and what she wants out of life.

Mother and daughter relationships

Mouse is not only about a friendship but it’s also about the difficult relationship Minnie has with her mom. “Minnie, like so many teenagers, is deeply embarrassed by where she comes from and her family” says O’Sullivan, so, when she and Callie’s mom, Helen (Sophie Okonedo) are left without Callie, they will have to eventually fill an empty space in their life.

Plot

It’s 2002, and senior year of high school is on the horizon for best friends Minnie and Callie. The charismatic Callie is the golden child of their North Little Rock, Arkansas school, and Minnie has grown up in her protective shadow. When their friendship is suddenly upended at thestart of the summer, Minnie is left rudderless. Facing the challenge of establishing her own identity as the school year begins, Minnie forms a complicated relationship with Callie’s elegant and attentive mother, leading her further away from her own working mom and chaotic home.

Written by: Chiara Nicoletti

Guest

Alex Thompson Kelly O’Sullivan

Film

Mouse

Festival

Berlinale

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“Mouse”, interview with directors Kelly O’Sullivan and Alex Thompson